Building Your Child’s Self-Confidence the Montessori Way

Dr. Maria Montessori developed her educational philosophy by direct observation of children’s natural development and focused on both physical and emotional changes as children learned and grew. “Happiness,” she wrote, “is not the whole aim of education. A man must be independent in his powers and character; able to work and assert his mastery over all that depends on him.” In the Montessori philosophy, learning is aimed squarely at achieving independence, which in turn leads to self-esteem. Happiness is a fortunate byproduct, but true self-esteem comes from working and doing, not from external rewards. To aid children in achieving confidence-building independence, Montessori teachers thoughtfully set up their classrooms to make it easy for children to do things on their own. Child-sized furniture and tools are provided so that children between the ages of three and six can master physical skills like pouring, mixing, cutting and a whole host of other basics. They are also encouraged to do everything they can on their own and to find creative solutions to problems. Older children are shown a concept or skill and then given the opportunity to test and practice new ideas on their own. This put children squarely in charge of their own learning, and such responsibility also leads to improved self-esteem. When children know that adults trust them to master a skill or new material, they quite naturally rise to the challenge.